Mental health report on treatment of black people

The way black people are treated when they are detained under the Mental Health Act has been examined in a new report.

Researchers at the Berkshire branch of charity Mind published the report, which looks into access to mental health care and support.

It comes after data from 2021 and 2023 showed black people were more than three times as likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act than white people in the county.

Mind was commissioned to engage with black communities, staff and groups to "understand the context" behind the figures.

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust commissioned the report as part of a programme addressing inequalities in local mental health services.

A statement from co-CEOs of Mind in Berkshire, Jess Willsher and Joel Rose, said the report "represents an important step in understanding the experiences and perspectives of black communities in Berkshire about mental health services".

The report was based on feedback from more than 180 people, and the charity said key themes included concerns over systemic racial bias and experiences of poor treatment and outcomes for black individuals using mental health services.

Other feedback included a stigma around mental health in some black communities, a need for greater cultural awareness and representation in the mental health workforce and the impact of intergenerational trauma and mistrust in services.

Ms Willsher and Mr Rose said it was important the findings "lead to constructive and collaborative change, across the system, so that disparities are reduced and experiences improve".

Dr Kathryn MacDermott, from Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, added: "At the heart of this project are lived experience and community voices.

"We welcome the findings of the report and will continue to work with Mind in Berkshire, embedding learnings from the report within the ongoing work we are doing."

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